The Twin Tie
by ScareGlow
Summary: One-shot. Set after the 2nd movie: After the talent show, Sharpay doesn't speak to Ryan anymore, but while Ryan wonders about the new developments in his life, he learns about something very special... R&R please!


Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else.

AN: This is my first (and possibly only) foray into the world of HSM. Set immediately after the second movie. Enjoy!

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Ryan Evans sighed deeply. He was currently down at the pool, trying to relax. After the talent show, it had seemed as if everyone had made up, but as per usual, appearances could be deceiving.

True, he was finally accepted by the Wildcats, and it was nice not to be the only one left out for a change. In the past, he'd been ignored at best, despised at worst. His reputation as Sharpay's poodle, as he himself had put it when talking to Gabriella, had prevented him from finding any friends, and the fact that he wasn't nearly as pushy, dominant and forceful as his twin had left him pretty much on his own. Now that he'd helped with the number for the talent show and that he'd proven himself at the baseball pitch, the others had finally realized that there was more to Ryan Evans than the lackey and back-up of his sister.

This realisation, however, had come at a price.

For several days now, ever since said talent show to be exact, Sharpay had not spoken a single word to him, and truth be told, it hurt.

The others didn't understand that, of course, but they didn't know his sister like he did. He knew that Sharpay could be cold, mean, superficial and bossy, but there was more to her than that. Ryan sighed again, remembering a time when they were much younger.

Their parents would be away pretty often, and Ryan would always be frightened. He'd always been the tender one, and even though they had a babysitter, he'd feel alone and scared. The first time their parents left them alone for a night, there was a furious storm outside, and Ryan cried silently, unable to calm down, let alone sleep. Then suddenly the door to his room opened, and his twin sister walked in, a worried expression on her face. She didn't say a word, just climbed into bed with him and hugged him. Somehow, her presence calmed the frightened boy, and he fell asleep soon after.

To the day, Ryan couldn't explain how his sister had known that he'd needed her. But she'd been there for him when no one else was, and that had been and remained a constant, maybe the only constant in his life. Whenever he felt alone, scared or hurt, his twin would appear, hug him and be there for him. She'd always been strong that way.

A tear rolled down Ryan's cheek. He'd known instinctively when he didn't back her up against the Wildcats that this precious bond he'd always had with his twin had been strained, possibly even broken. Of course they'd had their share of fights over the years, but it had never been really serious. They'd yell (well, mostly Sharpay) and argue, but it never lasted more than a few hours. While Sharpay could hold a grudge like no one's business, she never held one when it came to her twin. That is, she never used to. This time? Ryan wasn't so sure. Sharpay hadn't yelled at him or told him off, but she'd had a look of hurt and betrayal in her eyes that had nearly broken Ryan's heart. The only reason why it hadn't was that Ryan knew he was right this time. Sharpay had overstepped pretty much every line, and he just couldn't ignore that any longer. She'd become more and more self-centred, egoistic and cold over the recent months, and loath as he was to do so, he had to step up at some point.

It was right in the middle of these musings that Ryan suddenly felt something. It was like a sharp pull in his stomach, a completely unfamiliar sensation. Furrowing his brows in confusion, he got up as the feeling didn't go away but only seemed to become stronger. He walked back towards the hotel, the pull almost directing his steps, and suddenly, he knew where he was going: to Sharpay's room.

He considered knocking for a second, but then just opened the door silently and stepped into the dark room. After the first step, his eyes widened in shock and his whole body froze, because in the complete darkness, he heard the one thing he'd never, ever expected to hear: His sister was crying.

It was a low, muffled sound, completely unlike anything one would expect from Sharpay Evans, and it pierced Ryan's heart. Without saying a word, he slowly and carefully approached her bed where she was lying and crying into a pillow. He reached down to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. From the way she flinched he could tell that she hadn't noticed him enter, but her shock lasted only for the fraction of a second.

"Ry?" Her voice sounded small, much too small for her.

He swallowed hard. "Yes, Shar, it's me."

He felt her reach for him and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back fiercely, and her silent crying quickly turned into bawling. He didn't really know what to do, as he'd never been in this position before, but then he remembered how she'd always comforted him, and he stroked her hair gently and made soft shushing noises to calm her down. After a few minutes, he tears subsided a bit, and another few moments later, she finally let go of her twin.

"God, Shar, I'm so sor–" He couldn't finish as she stopped him by gently placing her hand over his mouth.

"Don't be." Her voice still sounded a bit off, but he thought he could detect the hint of a smile in it. "I'm the one who's sorry, Ry. I've been so horrible to you, you must really hate me." Her voice hitched at those last words, and Ryan immediately hugged her again.

"I don't hate you, Shar, I never could. You're my sister, and I love you."

From the way her sniffing increased, she seemed close to tears again. "I've been so mean, and I didn't even notice. I cancelled our number, and I –" This time it was his hand that stopped her.

"It doesn't matter. When you didn't talk to me anymore after the show, I was just afraid you'd hate me now, because I helped out the others."

When she hugged him this time, he felt as if his ribs would crack.

"Never think that," she managed to say between sobs. "The last few days were so horrible. I missed you." When she said that, her voice sounded so young and vulnerable it almost made Ryan cry, too.

"I missed you, too."

After that, they both remained silent for a few moments, and Ryan felt Sharpay's breathing slowly evening out. Just as he was about to get up and leave, he caught her voice, shyly asking: "Stay with me?"

Nodding even though he knew she couldn't see it in the darkness, he climbed into bed with her. Shortly after, just as Ryan felt himself fall asleep, he heard her quietly say: "Love you, Ry."

"Love you too, Shar."

And for the first time since the talent show, both Evan twins slept soundly and peacefully, and for the first time ever, Ryan was the strong one. And while he knew the dynamics between his sister and him wouldn't change rapidly overnight, he now knew how she'd always known when he needed her: a pull in the stomach, or, as he would call it (and always bring a soft smile to Sharpay's face when he did so), the twin tie.


End file.
